Mark Duffett reflects on Day 1 of the Third Test where Steve Smith was a late withdrawal, Usman Khawaja made the most of his return and Alex Carey thrilled his home crowd.
The Ashes – Third Test, Adelaide Day 1: Smith out ill, Uzzie makes the most of a reprieve and Carey thrills his local crowd
December 17, 2025 by 8 Comments
Almanac Book Review: ‘Woke is Dead’ by Piers Morgan
December 17, 2025 by Leave a Comment
Daring to go where some may dread to tread, RagingBull offers his thoughts on Piers Morgan’s provocative book ‘Woke is Dead’.
Almanac Cricket: A History of Cricket in Woomera 1948 – 2014, Part 6: 1980/81 – 1987/88
December 17, 2025 by Leave a Comment
Part 6 of David Turpin’s examination of ‘A History of Cricket in Woomera: 1947 to 2014’ focusses on the years 1980/81 – 1987/88. Sadly, two well known cricket identities suffered untimely deaths during this period.
The Ashes – Third Test, Adelaide Preview: Australia to secure an early Christmas present
December 16, 2025 by 1 Comment
In his preview of the Adelaide Test, Dan Lonergan argues that the misguided Poms are almost no chance of turning things around in this Ashes series.
Almanac Cricket: Cricket by the Sea
December 16, 2025 by 11 Comments
There’s a certain amount of delight watching a leisurely game of country cricket with the sea for a backdrop as Mickey Randall explains.
Almanac Reviews: British Film Festival 2025 – Finale: Hamnet and Saipan Reviews
December 16, 2025 by 1 Comment
The British Film Festival 2025 has reached its finale as Ian Wilson reviews two of the films screened, Hamnet’ and ‘Saipan’.
Almanac Teams: Adelaide Test Memories
December 15, 2025 by 4 Comments
With the Adelaide Ashes Test approaching Rodney Boyd recalls some of the memorable individual Test performances at the ground.
Almanac Music: The Best Australian Albums of 2025
December 15, 2025 by 4 Comments
Smokie returns with his annual list of the best Australian music of the year. In 2025, he listened to over 130 new albums, and here he presents the best.
red wheelbarrow in the manner of Paul Gauguin’s Vision after the Sermon
December 15, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This Monday’s poem, according to Kevin Densley is “what I see happening when William Carlos Williams often parodied modernist poem, ‘The Red Wheelbarrow’, meets a well-known painting by Gauguin.”
Almanac Life: When Summer was Different
December 15, 2025 by 15 Comments
Dips O’Donnell’s piece, first published in 2015, captures the essence of a kid’s summer. It is now included in ‘Jolly Nuisance’, an anthology of Dips’s writings.
Almanac Footy: Zoch’s AFLW Dream Team: 2017-2025
December 13, 2025 by 2 Comments
In December 2021, Lindsay Zoch selected and posted what he called his AFLW “dream team” – a team he regarded as the best possible team from the first five seasons of the competition. When Season 10 concluded a couple of weeks ago, it seemed like a good idea to repeat the exercise, but this time with no set criteria. Here’s the result.
Almanac Footy: The Dashing Demon From South Bendigo
December 13, 2025 by 2 Comments
Ian McLean of the Melbourne FC was a champion wingman, courageous, a quick and reflexive player, and with his fluent ball handling skills, became a multiple premiership player for the club during the 1950s. Roger Spaull presents a wonderful account of the life and times of the footy career of Ian McLean.
‘Jolly Nuisance’: This O’Donnell Life – with an introduction by John Harms
December 13, 2025 by 1 Comment
Dips O’Donnell’s ‘Jolly Nuisance’ is a delightful collection of observational writing about everyday life. Read more about it in this post, which includes John Harms’s introduction to the book. A delightful Christmas gift for those who’ve followed Dips over the years on this site, and for those who appreciate insightful observational writing]
Almanac Numbers: The magic of fifteen thousand
December 12, 2025 by Leave a Comment
15.000 is a number that has relevance within some of Roy Hay’s published works as he explains in his piece.
Almanac Cricket: Australian Cricket Society – Dinner with ‘Dizzy’
December 12, 2025 by Leave a Comment
The Australian Cricket Society invites Almanackers and friends to attend their Boxing Day Test Dinner featuring Jason ‘Dizzy’ Gillespie in conversation with Ken Piesse on Saturday, 27 December.
‘Made in Sri Lanka…’ by KB Hill
December 11, 2025 by 1 Comment
KB Hill charts the rich contribution of Sri Lankan cricketers to the Wangaratta District Cricket Association.
Almanac Book Reviews: Kelvin Templeton on Carolyn Spooner’s ‘Frog Cakes at Half Forward’
December 10, 2025 by Leave a Comment
Kelvin Templeton is taken by the originality of Carolyn Spooner’s ‘Frog Cakes at Half Forward’ and concludes that it’s a book ‘every lover of Australian Football should have on their bookshelf.’ Nice review.
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